What happens when thousands of people decide to cycle together?
By Carlos R., international coordinator of 30 Days on Bike
For years, I’ve seen how something seemingly small can transform our relationship with our cities: using a bicycle daily.
I’m not talking about great sporting feats or epic activism, but about ordinary people using bikes to go to work, run errands, or simply get around in a different way.
And when that happens collectively, something very interesting occurs.
When you see neighbors, colleagues, or friends riding bikes every day, the unusual becomes normal, and the individual becomes a visible, joyful, and contagious community movement, slowly generating a shared cycling culture.
That is, for me, one of the most valuable things about 30 Days on Bike.
The use of bikes as a social activity that creates space, community, and meaning
Some time ago, I discovered the work The Sociality of Cycling, by Simón Batterbury and Alejandro Manga. In it, they develop an idea that I find particularly interesting: the concept of “bike-space”.
They don’t just talk about bike lanes or infrastructure. They also talk about everything that happens around cycling that encourages more people to use bikes: conversations, shared routes, recommendations, mutual support, or simply the daily visibility of those who already ride.
Because infrastructure is important, of course. But community is too.
In 30 Days on Bike, I see it constantly. Every person who participates makes another way of getting around visible and helps, often without realizing it, to encourage others to start.
And that also transforms the city.
UrbanBiker: creator of bike-space
That’s why I think it makes sense for initiatives like 30 Days on Bike and UrbanBiker to meet.
Because an electric bicycle is not just technology. It can also be the tool that removes barriers and allows many people to incorporate cycling into their daily lives.
A hill, a long distance, or simply a lack of confidence are no longer limits.
From the outside, it might seem that a brand ‘only manufactures bicycles,’ but in reality, it can also help build cycling culture. And I believe UrbanBiker understands this idea well: designing electric bicycles for real journeys and real people, making it easier for more and more people to become part of that bike-space.
Because transforming mobility doesn’t just depend on building infrastructure. It also depends on creating community, trust, and shared experiences around cycling.
Visit your local bike shop, join a meetup, encourage that friend who never dared, and celebrate every shared kilometer.
About the author: Carlos R. is the international coordinator of 30 Days on Bike, a multi-award-winning global campaign promoting daily bicycle use, and collaborates with UrbanBiker in fostering sustainable mobility.
